Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® Meet the author Overview Have you ever made a drunken bet? Worse, still, have you eveer tried to win one? In attempting to hitchhike round Ireland wich a fridge, Tony Hawks did both, and his foolhardiness led him to one of the best experiences of his life. Joined by his trusty traveling companion-cum-domestic appliance, he made his way from Dublin to Donegal, from Sligo through Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Wexford, Wicklow--and back again to Dublin. In their month of madness, Tony and his fridge met a real prince, a bogus king, and the fridge got christened. They surfed together, entered a bachelor festival, and one of them had sex without the other knowing. And unexpectedly, the fridge itself became a momentary focus for the people of Ireland. An international bestseller, Round Ireland with a Fridge is a classic travel adventure in the tradition of Bill Bryson with a dash of Dave Barry. Advertising Editorial Reviews From the Publisher “Round Ireland with a Fridge is a sort of alternative Michael Palin tome and a far better read thatn you would expect.

It is part autobiography, part travelogue, and part Guinness-addled ramblings.” The Irish Times “One ridiculous and sumbline example of the high-concept travel book is the British comedian Tony Hawk's Round Ireland with a Fridge....The whole book is driven by the sheer lunacy of the original proposition, and the sweet bottom line is that anything that brings people together and shows them this good a time isn't stupid at all.” The New York Times Book Review “A rambling but ultimately warmhearted diary-like account that combines elements of Let's Go Ireland, Cheers, and Seinfeld...Hawks has produced a witty, silly, tribute to the hospitality and generosity that the Emerald Isle is famous for.” The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.) Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly When British writer, performer and musician Hawks makes a drunken bet for 100 that he can "hitchhike round the circumference of Ireland, with a fridge, in one calendar month," he starts, in 1997, an unexpectedly wonderful adventure into the good-natured soul of the Irish people.

Though the book begins inauspiciously as a bad parody of Dave Barry's travel books, with Hawks assuming a smug distance from the people and events he encounters, happily fate intervenes in the form of a jovial radio-show host who convinces Hawks to phone in daily to share updates about his travels with the fridge. Almost overnight, Hawks becomes a regional legend--"The Fridge Man"--with all sorts of people willing to help him achieve his goal, however silly it may be. What could have been a convenient contrivance actually allows a kinder and far funnier Hawks to appear, as his daily talks with his radio "fans" bring him unexpected delights, including encounters with an overenthusiastic innkeeper and his family, the amazing champion surfer Bingo, various musicians and lots of pub visits. In the end, Hawks's book becomes a lively celebration of contemporary Irish society and the goodwill of its people that neither revels in irony nor descends into mawkishness. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.| Library Journal Yes, a fridge. People sometimes do the craziest things when they've had too many beers.

Hawks, known throughout Great Britain for his humor and appearances on various radio and television shows, made a drunken bet with a friend that he could successfully hitchhike around Ireland with a refrigerator as his traveling companion. Once sober, he realized the magnitude of the task he'd set himself but agreed to honor the bet anyway. The result is a hysterically funny travelog, in which Hawks shares his warm regard for the Irish, his amusing contacts with the natives, anecdotes from places he stayed, and brief tales about those who gave him rides. Anyone who enjoys Bill Bryson or Dave Barry will greatly appreciate Hawks for a writing style that seems to be a stew made of one part Monty Python, one part Benny Hill, and two parts Barry. Highly recommended for public libraries and academic libraries with browsing collections.--Sandra Knowles, Henderson Cty. P.L., Hendersonville, NC Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\ Read an Excerpt Prologue I'm not, by nature, a betting man. However, the pages that follow in this book do not bear testimony to that. In fact they exist wholly as the result of a bet. I'm not, by nature, a drinking man.

However, the making of the bet which led to this book does not bear testimony to that. Because I made it when I was pissed. Everything you read from this moment forth is a tribute to what can be achieved as a result of a shabby night of booze. Chapter One If Only In 1989 I went to Ireland for the first time. I don't know why it had taken so long. Some parts of the world you make a conscious effort to visit and others have to wait until fate delivers you there. When the moment arrived for me to set foot on the Emerald Isle, it was as a result of a badly written song. An Irish friend from London, Seamus, had urged me to compose a piece for him and his mate Tim to sing at an International Song Competition which was held each year in his home town. Qualification for the final, he explained, was a formality provided I agreed to do a twenty-minute stand-up comedy set for the audience whilst the judges were out. Seamus wanted to perform a humorous song, and had asked me to come up with something that would `set it apart' from the other mundane entries. In the event, what would set it apart would be a quite significant drop in standard.

The song I had written was called `I Wanna Have Tea With Batman'. Now I consider myself to be a good songwriter (in spite of my onlycommercial success being a one-off hit record called `Stutter Rap' by Morris Minor And The Majors), but this song was ... how can I put it? ... yes, that's it  poor. To their credit, Seamus and Tim conjured up a performance to match it. In an extraordinary gesture which was at best surreal and at worst embarrassing, they dressed as Batman and Robin. At least that's what they had aimed to do, but a limited costume budget had left them in borrowed tights, miscellaneous lycra and academic robes doubling as capes. They resembled a couple of children entered for a fancy dress competition by uninterested parents. Seamus seemed unconcerned, his theory of comedy being that if you had an `outrageous' outfit, that was enough; and then he announced his master stroke that one of them would carry a teapot and the other a kettle. One had to admire his courage, for he was performing in front of his home town and everyone he had grown up with was there.

Friends, family, teachers, shopkeepers, barmen, drunks and priests were all rooting for him. If one was going to let oneself down very badly  and Seamus was most definitely going to do that  it would be difficult to imagine an assembled throng with which it would have more resonance. Seamus and Tim took centre stage. The audience responded with an audible inhalation of breath. For them, there was little to suggest that the two characters before them were supposed to be Batman and Robin, and they were clearly taken aback by this magnificent fusion of colour, tights and kitchen appliances. I watched from the back, experiencing for the first time a curious blend of wonderment and discomfort, and could see in the faces of both performers that their self belief in the costume selection was ebbing away with each elongated second. Thankfully, from the congregation, astonishment subsided into applause. The conductor caught the eye of our superheroes and they nodded to establish they were ready. The band struck up. The musical introduction finished but neither Tim nor Seamus began singing. They looked accusingly at each other. Paralysed with nerves one of them had missed their cue.

Somebody near me allowed their head to drop into their hands. Seamus, man of the moment, stepped forward and signalled to the conductor to stop the band. Astonishingly the maestro ignored him. He was pretending he couldn't see Shea's frantic signals. For God's sake, how bad could his eyesight be? Was it possible not to notice the flapping arms of a multi-coloured caped crusader brandishing a teapot in anger? That conductor was more focused than most of us could ever hope to be. He had a long evening to get through and he was going to get through it in the shortest available time. Going back and starting again for those who had screwed up wasn't on the agenda, even if it was `Good old Seamus' from down the way. And so, with all the obduracy of a first world war general, his head stayed firmly down and the band played on. Time went into stasis. I simply have no way of knowing how long it was before Seamus abandoned his frenzied gesticulations, punched Tim, and they both began singing. Indeed, I can't recall how badly they performed the rest of the song. Who cares?

The audience applauded, they won `Most Entertaining Act', and so began my fascination with Ireland. Aside from the song contest débâcle, there had been another incident which had made this first trip to Ireland stand out in my mind. On arrival at Dublin Airport, I had been met by Seamus's lifelong friend Kieran and driven to Cavan. As we headed north and discussed Batman and Robin's prospects (Kieran was peculiarly guarded on the subject, but later I understood why when I learned that he had watched their rehearsals), I noticed a figure by the side of the road, hitch-hiking. I looked closer, as one does with hitch-hikers, to make that split-second assessment of their appearance to judge their suitability for travel companionship. This was odd. Very odd. He had something alongside him and he was leaning on it. It was a fridge. This man was hitch-hiking with a fridge. `Kieran, was that man hitch-hiking with a fridge?' `Oh yeah.' There was nothing in Kieran's tone of voice to suggest the slightest hint of surprise. I had clearly arrived in a country where qualification for `eccentric' involved a great deal more than that to which I had become used.

Years passed. (I've always wanted to write that.) The Song Competition had become an anecdote which was given an airing at dinner parties approximately once every two years, and a reference to the fridge hitchhiker always accompanied it as something of a postscript. For some reason, the image of this man and his large white appendage was indelibly stamped on my memory. I could still see him there by the roadside, something in his face demonstrating a supreme confidence that the presence of his refrigerator would in no way impair his chances of a ride. Sometimes I wondered whether I had imagined him, but no, Kieran had witnessed the miracle too. Had it not been for Kieran, I could have allowed my imagination to develop `Fridge Man' into some kind of spiritual revelation; an apparition, an angel who had appeared to me as a symbol of optimism in a bleak, cynical world. I could be the apostle who spread the message that we could all transport our burdens with the ease of `Fridge Man', if only we trusted in our fellow man to stop and help us on our way.

I could hand out leaflets at railway stations and arrange meetings, steadily recruiting followers into a utopia where, when you opened your door to the world, a little light came on and illuminated your groceries. Alternatively, I could pull myself together. And that is exactly what I did. The fridge incident was forgotten, banished to the recesses of my mind where matters of infinitesimal consequence belonged. It took alcohol in excess to throw it back up again. The occasion was a dinner of party with some friends down in Brighton. A vast quantity of wine had been consumed and the atmosphere was, shall we say, lively. Round about midnight those present settled on a short discussion on the merits of the new fridge which Kevin had bought, and then, by a series of turns, our raddled attention was given to a trip he was planning to Ireland. The juxtaposition of the two triggered a triumphal re-emergence of my fridge hitch-hiking story, which I relayed to the guests via a long-winded collection of badly slurred words. Kevin's response was unambiguous. `Bollocks.' `It's not bollocks,' I countered. I had hoped this would see him off, but there was more. `Yes, it is.

Nobody could ever get a lift with a fridge.' `They could in Ireland, it's a magical place.' `Magical! So's my arse!' I let the subject drop. Experience had taught me that someone mentioning how magical their arse was tended not to precede stimulating and considered debate. When I woke in the morning, in a physical condition which served as a reminder as to what had taken place the night before, I found a note by my bed: `I hereby bet Tony Hawks the sum of One Hundred Pounds that he cannot hitch-hike round the circumference of Ireland, with a fridge, within one calendar month.' And there was Kevin's signature, and below it, an illegible squiggle which I took to be mine. And so, the bet was made. Now, it's no good me pretending that the gauntlet had been thrown down and that my honour was at stake if I didn't pick it up and rise to the challenge set down before me. I had been drunk and so had Kevin, and if people were held to things said when sloshed, then we'd all be tragic heroes, ensnared in miserable lives enforced upon us by our own reckless words.

I'd still be with Alison Wilcox who I'd told I would `love forever' in the midst of a lager-sodden teenage one-night stand. I find it difficult to imagine us still together now  mortgage, kids and Ford Mondeo, given that the only thing we really had in common was a failure to remember each other's names in the morning. In fact when I did get round to calling Kevin, he had only a very sketchy recollection of the whole sorry saga. The last thing he was going to do was to hold me to something he could barely remember having taken place. So why, a month later did I find myself seriously considering taking the bet on? There was no need, no need at all, and yet there I was looking at a map of Ireland and trying to work out the mileage involved in making its coastal circuit. Alas, I had been struck down with what psychoanalysts refer to as G.T.D.S.B.S. syndrome. Naturally, the adopted logic of those suffering from G.T.D.S.B.S. syndrome is flawed and can be easily exposed.

I cite a short conversation I had with a mountaineer (mountaineers are probably the most common casualties of this phenomenon) as an example of how easily this may be achieved: `Why, in the bitter conditions of an Alpine winter, are you tackling the dangerous and challenging northeastern face of the fearsome Mattherhorn?' `Because it's there.' `But so are your slippers and the TV remote.' Q.E.D., I think. Why subject yourself to untold pain and deprivation when popping to the shops and back followed by a bit of a sit down, is an option? Why explore when you can tidy? Why sail singlehandedly when you can read singlehandedly, trek when you can taxi, abseil when you can take the stairs, stand when you can sit, or listen to Neil Sedaka's Greatest Hits when you can take your own life? And it's no good pretending that G.T.D.S.B.S. syndrome is rare, because we all know someone who has been touched by it. Someone at work, or their brother, or someone in the aerobics class, has run a marathon. Twenty-six miles. Twenty-six pointless miles. And do we know anyone who has enjoyed it?

Of course we don't. They might pretend they enjoyed it, but they're lying. Life is full of mysteries, doubts and unfathomables but if we can be certain of one thing in this world then it is this: Running twenty-six miles is no fun. I think it was probably an American who came up with the adage `if it ain't hurting, it ain't working'. It would be nice to think that shortly after he uttered those words someone smacked him in the mouth by way of demonstrating how well it was working for him. And yet I was just as deluded as the marathon runner, maybe even more so. All logic defied what I found myself contemplating. I would sit up late at night weighing up the pros and cons. All right, the cons won hands down, but there were times when I managed to make the whole thing seem glamorous. An adventure, the unknown, the chance to do something no one had done before. Wow!  something no one had done before. That's something most of us can only dream of.

If you're not sure of the lengths to which people are prepared to go in order to set themselves apart from their fellow Man, then have a browse through The Guinness Book Of Records next time you find yourself with a couple of free minutes in the reference library. That's exactly what I found myself doing one morning  checking the entries under Refrigerators and Hitch-hiking, just to confirm that the whole Ireland/fridge venture hadn't already been successfully undertaken by a seventeen-year-old biology student from Sheffield. Research brought relief when I discovered that nobody had done it, but honestly, you wouldn't believe some of the things they had done. Akira Matsushima of Japan unicycled a distance of 5,244 km from Newport Oregon, to Washington DC, from 10 July to 22 August 1992. Quite impressive given that most people would be chuffed just to make it across a room. But the efforts of Akira must have pissed off another aspiring unicyclist, Ashrita Furman of the US, who wanted to establish a unicycling record of his own, but felt unable to eclipse the feat of the one-wheeled Jap. So, what to do?

Of course  it's obvious, isn't it? Start practising unicyclying backwards. Ashrita Furman of the US unicycled 85.5 km backwards at Forest Park, Queens, US, on 16 September 1994. Well, I just hope his parents are proud of him. What an invaluable skill their son has acquired. Further study of this most bizarre of textbooks revealed that Ashrita was one of many who adhered to the school of thought that if you couldn't break a world record forwards, then your best bet was to have a go at doing it backwards. Timothy `Bud' Badyna ran the fastest backwards marathon  3 hours 53 minutes and 17 seconds at Toledo, Ohio, on 24 April 1994. I checked to see whether Timothy `Bud' Badyna had also managed an entry under `Biggest Wanker', but I was disappointed to find that he hadn't. Congratulations though to the Conservative MP, Edward Leigh.

Before I returned the book to its shelf, I scoured the pages for an entry under `Most failed attempts to get into the Guinness Book Of Records', hoping to see a list of efforts like: Most amounts of cheese eaten in a force 8 wind. Most number of years spent attempting to startle a postman every morning. Shiniest ears. Round Ireland With A Fridge eBook: Tony Hawks: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store By R. Montalto on 2 May 2001 Format: Paperback I bought this book on one of my many wanders through Amazon largely because of the title. The absurdity of the premise that somebody would hitch hike around Ireland with a fridge, touched the maverick side of me and so I bought it. Simply, it is one of the funniest books you'll read. It combines the day to day adventures of Tony along with the ridiculous situations that he finds himself in. The reaction of the Irish people that he comes across is irrational and typical at the same time. It is very laugh-out-loud funny as well as touching and moving, acting as a metaphor for life - and all written brilliantly.

If you're reading this review it means that you want persuading before you commit to buying the book. Then do yourself a favour and take the punt and stick it in your basket. You won't be sorry. By A Customer on 28 Aug. 1999 Format: Paperback Read the reviews and bought the book. How anyone can give this book a bad review, I don't know. Once I started it and began laughing just from the introduction; as well as driving my wife mad with my laughing, I couldn't put it down. Tony Hawles, despite being on the telly, seems to be a regular sort of guy doing something particularly stupid and the people of Ireland warming to him and vice versa. There is humour, heartbreak and even sex in a dog kennel! Wary of many people cashing in on dreamed up ventures, Tony Hawkes is not one of them and there appears to be genuine warmth and writing from the heart throughout the book. A happy tale and an absolutely superb read. BUY BUY BUY! Comment 19 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote.

Please try again By Tom265 on 2 Aug. 2002 Format: Paperback Tony Hawks is the type of comedian who these days is something of a rarity - that is to say he has genuine wit. In his writing, Hawks is at his comic best when describing the events we have all gone through - in particular trying to fit 500 things in a rucksack brings about an amusing tale of 'how to swear at a rucksack', and how to give it a jolly good kicking when it doesn't do what it's told. The ridiculous nature of Hawks' adventure sees him achieve national status in Ireland as the 'Fridge Man', as he galavants round Ireland hitchhiking with a fridge. Strange though this sounds, Hawks does his best to explain away why he does this in the opening chapters, by citing absurd feats from the Guiness Book of Records - again a place where chortling comes in abundance. Among the hilarities, there are a few occasions where Hawks has a truly descriptive style of what lies in Ireland and the beauty of the surroundings. He romanticises it enough to convince the reader that he thoroughly enjoyed travelling the breadth of Ireland with a domestic appliance. Comment 10 people found this helpful.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again By Essex Girl on 17 Feb. 2003 Format: Paperback I loved the humour in this book, and laughed out loud many a time. It is no literary classic and those looking for a travel guide to Ireland will be better off with a different book, but those who love humour and the trivial will find the book a first rate read. Hawks takes you from the bizarre to the ridiculous when he charts his adventure from the making of the bet, to the round trip with amusing anecdotes and brilliant observational humour. The author is obviously very good at people watching and it is reasurring to discover that even stand-up comedians can be lost for words sometimes. True,as other reviewers have said, he doesn't describe the places he visits in any detail but the people he meets and the situations he finds himself in are fascinating and amusing.

The people took him into their hearts and there is a real feel-good glow about this book, the fact that no one really thinks hitch hiking with a fridge is a problem, and often go out of their way to help him, but this by no means makes for a dull book, and creates an interesting array of characters. Just a word of advice - don't read in bed whilst your partner is trying to sleep, your attempts to giggle quietly will still wake them. Comment 19 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again By A Customer on 30 Mar. 1999 Format: Paperback I discovered this hilarious and wonderfully readable book near the end of my own trek around Ireland in summer '98. I almost didn't pick it up at first, perhaps because it was a bit different, but I'm soooo glad I did. I followed my gut (or should I say funny-bone), bought it, and started reading it right away, often reading about places I had just been to myself. I couldn't believe how Tony hit the nail right on the head in so many passages (i.e.

his description of the Letterfrack hostel). This guy's writing style was such a breath of fresh air to me, and just like listening to a funny and articulate friend recount their crazy adventures. After reading it, I wanted to both go for a drink with the author, and do my own fridge-tour of Ireland! Forget those cloned, over-sanitized, granola-ish "I went on a trip and found myself" politically-correct books that you fall asleep reading, and go for something with a bit of heart - and humour! Go "Round Ireland with a Fridge"! Comment 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again By A Customer on 24 Jun. 1999 Format: Paperback This should keep you turning pages happily on an aeroplane. Basically, Tony Hawks hitched around Ireland with a small fridge on a trolley, updated Irish radio listeners on a local programme and came up with one of the best travel books (or books full stop) I've read all year.

He's likeable the way Bill Bryson is likeable, and it's laugh out loud the way not many writers are. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the graffiti some tosser had written on the side of the fridge - yuck. Otherwise, warm, wonderfully written, bloody hilarious. All the good things. Only in Ireland... Comment 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again Once Upon A Time In The West...Country: Amazon.co.uk: Tony Hawks: 9781444794779: Books Once Upon A Time In The West...Country Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Apple To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. or Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . Product details Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (12 Mar. 2015) Language: English Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 2.6 x 22.3 cm Average Customer Review: Warm, witty, well-observed and a charming travelogue (Devon Life) Quite the best book I've read for a long, long time! Deliciously funny... (Books Monthly) There's gentle humour in the telling of tales as Tony and his partner Fran embrace their new surrounds and immerse themselves in local life (Choice) Breezily humorous in this account of becoming a countryman...Hawks is a genial personality in possession of a consistent talent to amuse (The Times) Book Description Comedian and bestselling author of Round Ireland with a Fridge, Tony Hawks, is embarking on his greatest adventure yet - moving from city life in London to deepest Devon in the West Country.

By PG on 25 May 2015 Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase I like Tony Hawks, I really do; his is quite a gentle humour: observational, often self-deprecating and sometimes whimsical, which came across well in his previous books; Round Ireland with a Fridge being the obvious example. As I live in the West Country, I figured this would be an enjoyable narrative and a wry look at a place I call home. Ah, well, the best laid schemes and all that… I guess a polite response would be to say that the jury is still out. Sadly, I can’t say that as the jury went home ages ago after struggling through the first five chapters. In retrospect, I’m amazed I lasted that long. Put simply, I found the book unremittingly dull. I think what really irked were the brain-numbing exchanges between Tony and his partner, Fran. Example: ‘If it takes eighteen months to find the right place, then let’s take eighteen months,’ I said, as we went to bed after a delicious meal with our hosts. ‘Yes, we’re not in a hurry,’ said Fran. ‘Goodnight.’ ‘Goodnight’ You get the idea?

Well, put it this way, I was ready to nod off that point. I’ve a feeling other readers will, too. Very disappointing. Tony Hawks - UKGameshows Tony Hawks Inside Clyde Biography Comedian, songwriter and all-round funny chap, Tony Hawks is possibly best known for writing the controversial spoof record Stutter Rap which, under the title of Morris Minor and the Majors, reached the dizzy heights of #4 in the UK charts in 1987. A BBC sitcom followed. His first book, Round Ireland With a Fridge, was a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin comedy travelogue which sold bucketloads, paving the way for similar other titles. He is a regular contributor to panel games on TV and particularly BBC Radio 4. Trivia He is co-founder of the Tennis For Free campaign [1] . He constantly gets emails from 11-year-old grungy teens from Brooklyn assuming him to be skateboarding legend Tony Hawk (singular). The confusion prompted Hawks to take Hawk as his specialised subject on Celebrity Mastermind . He could have avoided such confusion if he'd stuck to his original surname, Hawksworth. We're guessing it's an Equity thing.

Like Ainsley Harriott , he has had involvement with the BBC sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf. Books/Tapes The Boston Bibliophile: Review: ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE, by Tony Hawks Thursday, August 15, 2013 Review: ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE, by Tony Hawks Round Ireland with a Fridge, by Tony Hawks. Published 2001 by St. Martins Griffin. Nonfiction. Humor. If you've ever been to Ireland, or wanted to go to Ireland, this is the book for you. I lived in Ireland for four short months when I was 22 and the experience has stayed with me since then; even hearing an Irish accent can bring me right back to that time. I lived in Dublin and will never forget the kindness and good nature of Dubliners, or the charm of the city itself. And in fact, I'm going back there soon for a short trip. Yay! So I've been doing some reading on Ireland, both fiction and non, and this book was recommended to me and my husband (who will shortly have the pleasure of going there for the first time) by a relative. It's great.

So this is a memoir of what happened when an English comedian named Tony Hawks bet a friend that he could hitchhike around Ireland in a month with a fridge in tow. Yes, they had been drinking. Hawks is mostly known for stand up comedy and for being confused with the American skateboarder Tony Hawk. And, in certain areas around the coast of Ireland, for being The Fridge Man. He even has a jacket that says so. The book covers his journey through large towns and small, though mostly small, and through some very off-the-beaten-path places indeed. Did you know that certain small islands off the west coast of Ireland have kings? Or that if you travel around with a fridge, people will feel more comfortable with you if you let them name it? These are among the many things you will learn if you read this book. And I really do recommend that you read it. It's the closest thing to being there without getting on a plane or a boat, from the landscape to the personalities to the patterns of speech. It's laugh-out-loud funny in some places, wryly humorous in others and sometimes just absurd. Mostly it's just delightful.

Rating: BEACH Tony Hawks, Signed - AbeBooks Tony Hawks, Signed Results (1 - 11) of 11 Sort By ISBN 10: 0060198605 ISBN 13: 9780060198602 Used Hardcover Signed Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Regan Books, New York, New York, U.S.A., 2000. Hard Cover. Book Condition: Acceptable. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall, 289 Pages. Not pretty. Several edge tears, edge wear, and sun fading. Tips bumped with some board exposure, bare spot on the front board from large sticker removal. Inscribed to Thomas who also wrote his name and address in felt pen on the front paste down. Inscribed By Author on the Ffep. Bookseller Inventory # 011835 ISBN 10: 0091863279 ISBN 13: 9780091863272 Used Paperback Signed Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Ebury Press, 1998.

Paperback. Book Condition: Good. Signed. SIGNED BY AUTHOR. A slight tan to the page edges. Good reading copy. Minor Shelfwear. Good condition is defined as: a copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Bookseller Inventory # mon0003275058 ISBN 10: 0091863279 ISBN 13: 9780091863272 Used Soft cover Signed Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: 1998. Soft cover. Book Condition: Very Good. 11th paper printing inscribed by the author on the title page. Spine creased, slight rubbing, curling and tanning, else text clean, binding tight. Language: eng Language: eng 0.0 Language: eng 0.0. Signed by Author(s).

Bookseller Inventory # ABE-12569535494 ISBN 10: 0060198605 ISBN 13: 9780060198602 Used Hardcover Signed ISBN 10: 0060198605 ISBN 13: 9780060198602 Used Hardcover Signed Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Regan Books/HarperCollins, New York, New York, U.S.A., 2000. Hardcover. Book Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. First Edition Later Printing. Autobiography, SIGNED by Hawk on ffep (his name only, no inscription). Obtained at a local signing--he is a local San Diego resident). FIRST EDITION, Seventh Printing (per number line), this hardcover is Near Fine: just slightly less perfect than brand new! Only flaw is some teeny foxed spots to exterior top page edges. Otherwise, completely clean, binding tight & square, nice white pages; NO writing, underlining, or highlighting. NOT ex-lib.

Unclipped DJ is virtually flawless: bright, clean, no fading or chipping; beautifully protected in new archival mylar cover. Please see our 5 photos! Description & photos copyright Gargoyle Books 2016. Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm Weekdays (Pacific time); Weekends & holidays ship next business day. Signed by Author(s). Bookseller Inventory # 010709 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Ebury Press 2007 Paperback, 2007. Book Condition: Good. Whilst in Ireland for an International Song Competition, Tony Hawks was amazed to see a hitch-hiker, trying to thumb a lift, but with a fridge. This seemed amazingly optimistic - his Irish friends, however thought nothing of it at all. 'I had clearly arrived in a country', writes Tony, 'where the qualifications for 'eccentric' involved a great deal more than that to which I had become used'. Two years pass but the fridge incident haunts our author. Until one night, heavy with drink, he finds himself arguing about Ireland with a friend.

It is, he insists, a 'magical place', so magical in fact, that a man could even get a lift with a fridge. The next morning there is a note by the bed. 'I hereby bet Tony Hawks the sum of One Hundred Pounds that he cannot hitch-hike around the circumference of Ireland with a fridge within one calendar month'. The document was signed. The bet was made. This book is the story of Tony's adventures through that incredible month. The people he meets, the difficulties, the triumphs. The fridge. 272 pages. Bookseller Inventory # 985418 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Regan Books, NY, 2002. Original Wraps. Book Condition: Fine. First Edition. ***** This is the true first edition, first printing (with "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" stated on the copyright page). ***** This book is SIGNED by the author (Tony Hawk) on the second page. The author has not inscribed this book to anyone; it is just signed by the author. ***** Very nice softcover (as issued -- there was no hardcover edition published).

There is NO writing, NO bookplates, and NO remainder marks. It is NOT a book club edition and NOT a former library book. CONDITION: The book in FINE condition. ***** OUR GUARANTEE TO YOU: All books are guaranteed to be as described. We believe that no sale is complete until you are happy. Any book is returnable for a full refund (including postage) if you're not 100% satisfied. All books are packaged very carefully and shipped via USPS Mail with Delivery Confirmation. Thank you! Richard Vick, Modern First Editions (Buying and Selling Modern First Editions since 1982). Signed by Author. Bookseller Inventory # 1704

Question: Which word completes the title of a Tony Hawks book: "Round Ireland With A ...."?
Answer: """FRIDGE"""